Columbia Development, which is marketing the building, did not identify tenants in the building application. A spokeswoman for Trader Joe’s, when asked about the building, recently told me she does not “have anything to confirm.”

Terrible news. Those people who are fighting for Trader Joe’s and Whole Foods and Wegman’s to all come to this area should not then complain when the local unemployment rate goes up to match the rest of the country’s high 9% rate. We are lucky to have Price Chopper’s and Stewart’s be locally owned and hq’d. The money from outside the region pours into our economy, giving us high paying jobs. Trader Joe’s money will go to… California? How does that help us? So much for yuppie’s and hippie’s alike agreeing on “shop local”. Price Chopper is local. Trader Joe’s might as well be Walmart. Same result to local business.

Makes me wonder if in the 1950′s and ’60′s if people in Schenectady yearned to buy Philips and LG lightbulbs and appliances and then complained later when GE shed jobs and moved their HQ to Connecticut… When you want outside companies to come in with low paying minimum wage jobs, dont latter complain that locally headquartered businesses with high paying jobs leave the area or go out of business. Sowing your own decline.

@8, while I personally have nothing against the Dakes, who appear to be expert business people–how does the fact they have a corner on the convenience store business make “money from outside the region pour() into our economy”? When I pay them $2 for the same Coke I can buy for $1.80 in midtown Manhattan, how does that help create “high paying jobs”?

@12—–By supporting and giving your business to Stewarts and Dake, you help Dake to expand and open more stores throughout the region.
If you buy your products from Manhattan, then the dollars you spend aren’t reinvested into our local economy.

If you buy at and support Price Chopper, your dollars will be spent to open new Price Choppers in OUR area.
If you buy products from and support Wegmens, your dollars will be spent to open a new store in Rochester. Get it?

@12 In addition to what 14 and 15 said, the money you spend at Stewart’s or Price Chopper, or any other chain that is headquartered here in NY’s Capital District goes to corporate executives who live locally in our area, they pay local taxes, they spend their money locally, it stays here. Wegmans, Whole Foods, Trader Joe’s, Hannaford etc etc, your money is going to executives who are paying taxes elsewhere, they are spending their salaries elsewhere, the money drains from our region not to return.

I think this would be a great addition to the area. I would still continue to shop at Price Chopper but do the occasional specialty shopping at Trader Joe’s. Any word on when Home Goods is supposed to open in Latham??

It wouldn’t shock me if a Trader Joe’s finally came in this area but to me, Wegmans would be of more interest. And this possible location would be a traffic nightmare. Enough for me not to even bother if it did ever open.

As for Price Chopper, their prices are high. Yes, Wegmans prices are high as well but at least they have a much more larger selection and better quality food.

A non-locally headquartered market like TJ’s or Wegmens in our area is exactly same concept as a Toyota factory in Texas.
Don’t be fooled into thinking because the Toyota Tundra is made in America that money spent buying one is money well spent.

That Toyota company still imports enough models from Japan to cancel out any models they do make in US.

Elmer, you and everybody else is free to do anything they want and buy anywhere they want. Obviously.

But when the folks start crying because we see the effects of a GM, Ford, GE, Grand Union, K-mart, etc. going under and jobs lost just go outside and take a cruise around the block in your Honda to sooth the pain.